Makeup in the era of the 1920s was becoming more acceptable but the face was still natural to correspond with the masculine silhouette. For the face, pale cream and ivory colored powders reflected the early nineteen twenties. This fad was made famous by Clara Bow and Theda Bara. Then the powders started to match the hue of the face as the decade continued. Elizabeth Arden made cleansing and healthy lotions for the skin. Helena Rubenstein created lotions for the face. These were made to help protect the skin from the sun Designer Coco Chanel promoted and made sun tanning a fashionable and popular fad during this time period. The lips were also important. Many colors were popular. It started off with deep reds, plums and oranges and then rose and raspberries became more popular as the decade continued. The bottom lip was emphasized while a smaller, thin width for the lips was most fashionable. Smudge proof lipstick was also very important so that kisses wouldn’t be seen. Also, the eyebrows were very thin. Some even plucked their entire eyebrow off and penciled it in higher. Eyes were dark. Eye shadows were dark gray, turquoise was also fashionable. Eyelashes were also made black. Women also painted their nails but interestingly they only painted the center of the nail and the top of the nail, the half moon at the bottom was left alone. Cosmetic compacts were a big deal. Flappers would usually take their compacts out in public at places like speakeasies but respected women would hide them. Also, since makeup was fairly new, many interesting things were used as makeup. Cake wax for mascara and kohl for eye shadow (could be made of lead or goose grease). As with clothing, the flapper’s makeup was the most dramatic while other womentended to stay more natural. Yet the 1920s makeup was overall still less dramatic than the decades after. Many of the changes for women reflected a spirit of being more independent and their makeup changed to refelct that same spirit.
Makeup
Makeup in the era of the 1920s was becoming more acceptable but the face was still natural to correspond with the masculine silhouette. For the face, pale cream and ivory colored powders reflected the early nineteen twenties. This fad was made famous by Clara Bow and Theda Bara. Then the powders started to match the hue of the face as the decade continued. Elizabeth Arden made cleansing and healthy lotions for the skin. Helena Rubenstein created lotions for the face. These were made to help protect the skin from the sun Designer Coco Chanel promoted and made sun tanning a fashionable and popular fad during this time period. The lips were also important. Many colors were popular. It started off with deep reds, plums and oranges and then rose and raspberries became more popular as the decade continued. The bottom lip was emphasized while a smaller, thin width for the lips was most fashionable. Smudge proof lipstick was also very important so that kisses wouldn’t be seen. Also, the eyebrows were very thin. Some even plucked their entire eyebrow off and penciled it in higher. Eyes were dark. Eye shadows were dark gray, turquoise was also fashionable. Eyelashes were also made black. Women also painted their nails but interestingly they only painted the center of the nail and the top of the nail, the half moon at the bottom was left alone. Cosmetic compacts were a big deal. Flappers would usually take their compacts out in public at places like speakeasies but respected women would hide them. Also, since makeup was fairly new, many interesting things were used as makeup. Cake wax for mascara and kohl for eye shadow (could be made of lead or goose grease). As with clothing, the flapper’s makeup was the most dramatic while other women tended to stay more natural. Yet the 1920s makeup was overall still less dramatic than the decades after. Many of the changes for women reflected a spirit of being more independent and their makeup changed to refelct that same spirit.
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